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You've heard and read a great deal regarding the use of slimming jabs to lose weight, you feel it is time to try them out in the run-up to the holiday period. The problem is cost.

But it seems there are other options rather than getting a prescription and visiting the pharmacy. A text message arrives providing a URL to a site with more affordable medication – and with no need to navigate proper procedures. You also noticed a similar ad on online platforms the other day, prompting you to go for it.

The catch is such promotions are almost certainly scams. In the best-case scenario, you will be sent nothing and lose whatever money you spent. At worst, you receive a counterfeit item, containing unspecified components that could lead to serious medical issues.

The popularity of authentic slimming drugs has resulted in a increase in counterfeit products hitting the market and scams set up to merely steal consumers' cash.

Health authorities have warned against purchasing such unlawful slimming medications absent a doctor's order from beauty salons, bogus online chemists or via social media, saying they could contain “toxins and additional components which may provoke genuine injury”.

Recent statistics from a high street bank show a sharp rise in the number of customers who have been impacted by the fraud. The bank says, the total sum stolen through scams involving weight loss injections, pens, tablets and fat-dissolving products during the third quarter this year, was more than double the overall amount stolen in the previous three months. The average scam costs victims £120, it says.

“Scammers are deliberately targeting individuals' self-doubts and medical worries, with these scams soaring in the past few months,” says a financial institution's fraud prevention lead.

How It Appears

The majority take place on communication platforms and social networks. On socials, a profile may imitate the brand that you are looking for, but you'll often notice subtle differences in spelling or brand marks.

These communications or updates will often use pressure-inducing language such as “limited-time offer”, “exclusive deal” or “free giveaway”.

As the price of some legitimate weight loss jabs, rose of late, the scammers will price their “item” lower.

“Buying from unverified sellers online can come at a serious financial, medical and psychological toll,” says the fraud expert.

Recommended Actions

Like any deceptive scheme, the old adage applies: should something seem overly advantageous, then it probably is.

Medical authorities have cautioned people to be extremely cautious when purchasing medications via the web. These products must only be obtained from a licensed chemist using a prescription provided by a medical practitioner, they advise. If sourced elsewhere, they can present serious risks to wellbeing.

Criminals can go to great lengths to make their site or social media page look as authentic as possible. Should they state to be an internet-based chemist based in Great Britain, it's possible to verify the online portal of the medicines oversight organisation to confirm they are correctly licensed.